Obviously there are some transactional costs involved. I can get those down pretty close to zero by using this method to buy the gift cards.

Start at TopCashBack(dot)com

Redirect from there to giftcards(dot)com

Have gift cards mailed to your house

Yes - you will need to join TopCashBack. But you will earn back a portion of the price of your gift card, and drive down the transaction cost. And you might find out that Top Cash Back's portal saves you money elsewhere as well.

At the end of the day, you are only out of pocket your minimal transactional costs. So even if you don't use any cost saving techniques, you only need to come out of pocket about $10 to generate $500 or $1,000 of spending on our new credit card.

(Sorry I cannot post links to these sites - I have not met the minimum required for links by the forum. But you should have enough to go on.)

I remember that years ago you could buy discounted gift cards that worked as debit cards directly through card issuer portals. They closed that loophole for the most part.

Well, use it while it lasts. But be advised that many card issuers are imposing limitations on card churners.

Some will only let you collect a signup bonus offers once per year. Some will only allow you to collect it once in your lifetime. Chase will not approve you for a new card if you have taken out 5 new cards in the last 24 months.

I get where you are coming from. It is not illegal. And not the most immoral thing out there. But it is not exactly how the credit card companies want you to spend to earn rewards.

Still, I think it is a useful tool to be able to help you save money, accumulate rewards and see the most from how you spend. And you don't overspend or go into debt to do it.

Even if you do not want to play the game of manufactured spending, you should be willing to look at how the bonus rewards offered by some cards are superior to others. And are superior to just regular 1% or 2% rewards. And that is a game the card companies encourage.